Minor Fictional Characters in Days of Infamy
This article lists the various minor fictional characters who appear in the Days of Infamy series. These characters are identified by name, but play at best a peripheral role in the series. Most were simply mentioned once, or had a very brief, unimportant speaking role that did not impact the plot, and never appeared again. Corporal Aiso Andy (Days of Infamy) Andy was an American sailor who was impressed as infantryman during the Japanese invasion of Hawaii. He was defending the north of Pearl City from a cane field along with his infantrymen, some of whom were also impressed sailors. He was wounded in the leg from a Japanese machine gun in which one of his friend, also an impressed sailor, tried to save him but was also similarly wounded. Jim Peterson saved Andy, but Andy's friend was killed when he attempted to follow them. Thus saving a bullet that was meant for Peterson. Arnie (DoI) Arnie was one of three American soldiers Fletch Armitage "dragooned" into helping him work his M101 howitzer when the Japanese invaded Hawaii in 1941. Unlike the other two soldiers, Arnie surrendered with Armitage when American forces capitulated in February, 1942. Upon arriving in the POW camp in Kapiolani Park, Arnie regretted his decision. Bernie (DoI) Bernie was an American living in Hawaii in 1941. On December 7, he and his friend Sid "captured" downed pilot Jim Peterson with their nine-irons. When they realized he was American, not Japanese, they helped him find a car. Bill (DoI) Bill was a American private defending Hawaii during the Japanese invasion. Bill and his fellow private Eddie discovered their friend Wilbur's desecrated corpse by the Japanese after being taken prisoner. Terrified, Bill and Eddie did not know what to do with Wilbur's corpse and without a commanding officer to leading them, Bill founded Fletch Armitage and lead him to Wilbur. Armitage ordered Bill and Eddie to bury Wilbur in which they eagerly consented and as well being told not to mention Wilbur's death to the other soldiers, but warning them not to be taken captive by the Japanese. Bill then raised the question of the Geneva Conventions in which Armitage snapped back at his meaningless question in considering the state of Wilbur's death. Gordy Braddon (DoI, End of the Beginning) Gordon "Gordy" Braddon (d. 1943) was an American PFC and POW in a Japanese camp in Hawaii. He was in the same shooting squad as Jim Peterson. Braddon, like many POWs, died from exhaustion and starvation suffered at the hands of Japanese soldiers. Alfred Choi (EtB) Alfred Choi was a clerk in the "special cases" office at Honolulu Hale. He informed Oscar van der Kirk that he could do nothing for Charlie Kaapu (who had been arrested by the Kempeitai), and advised van der Kirk to simply let Kaapu go. Clancy (DoI) Clancy was one of three soldiers Fletch Armitage "dragooned" into helping him work his M101 howitzer when the Japanese invaded Hawaii in 1941. He and another soldier, Dave, decided against the idea of being a prisoner to the Japanese due to their inhumane treatment towards their prisoners, and snuck off to blend back into the civilian population after American forces surrendered in February 1942. Dave (DoI) Dave was one of three American soldiers Fletch Armitage "dragooned" into helping him work his M101 howitzer when the Japanese invaded Hawaii in 1941. He and another soldier, Clancy, were against the idea of being prisoners of the Japanese due to their inhumane treatment towards their prisoners, and snuck off to blend back into the civilian population after American forces surrendered in February, 1942. Otis Davis (DoI) Otis Davis was a United States Navy cadet from St. Louis. He shared a room in North Carolina with Joe Crosetti, Orson Sharp, and Bill Frank. Eizo Doi (DoI) Eizo Doi was a Japanese handyman living in Honolulu, Hawaii when the Empire of Japan conquered the islands in 1942. He was responsible for converting Jiro Takahashi's fishing boat to a sailing vessel, and putting a sail on Oscar van der Kirk's surfboard, creating the sailboard. Gordon Douglas (DoI) Gordon Douglas was a lieutenant in the United States Army. He served with the 13th Field Artillery Battalion (the "Lucky Thirteenth") in Hawaii alongside Fletch Armitage. When Armitage's wife left him, Douglas provided a sympathetic ear while both drank too much. During the Japanese invasion, Douglas was with his crew heading to Haleiwa but only to be bombed by Japanese aircraft in which most of his crew were killed and his fieldpiece destroyed. He suffered minor injury as he was farther away from the column and was forced to becoming an infantryman, but was very poorly experience in firsthand combat. Douglas was later imprisoned at Kapiolani Park when the Empire of Japan conquered Hawaii in 1942. There, he was reunited with Armitage and commented that he didn't expected the Japanese would make them prisoners given to their inhumane policy towards taking prisoners on the battlefield Douglas had witnessed, but acknowledged that this is a step from what the Japanese would likely do to the prisoners. Hank Drucker (DoI) Hank Drucker was a pilot in the United States Navy. He was on board the USS Enterprise when it went to Wake Island in November 1941. Unlike Jim Peterson, Drucker saw value in the trip. Eddie (DoI) Eddie was a American private defending Hawaii during the Japanese invasion. His stocky, swarthy look, suggested he hailed from a city slum. Eddie and his fellow private Bill horrifically discovered their friend Wilbur's desecrated corpse after being captured by the Japanese. Both Eddie and Bill were too disturbed of the state of Wilbur's death and did not know what to do with his body. Eddie stayed to look after Wilbur's body as Bill looked for a senior officer, finding Fletch Armitage. Armitage ordered Eddie and Bill to bury Wilbur in which the two eagerly consented and were told not to tell to the other soldiers of Wilbur's death, but warning them of not being captive by the Japanese. After Armitage bluntly disregard the Geneva Convention in considering the state of Wilbur's death, Eddie asked him of what they should do if they capture any Japanese soldier. His answer from Armitage was never to ask an officer beforehand in which Eddie and Bill were enthusiastic to his approval. Bill Frank (DoI, EotB) Bill Frank (d. 1943) was a United States naval cadet from Oakland. He shared a room in North Carolina with Joe Crosetti, Orson Sharp, and Otis Davis. He was shot down and presumed killed after the destruction of the Akagi and Shokaku during the liberation of Oahu. Mitsuo Fujikawa (DoI) Lt. Colonel Mitsuo Fujikawa was Takeo Shimizu's regimental commander. Mas Fukumoto (DoI) Mas Fukumoto was Oscar van der Kirk's misery landlord. During the Japanese invasion of Hawaii, his loyalty was privately questioned by van dee Kirk and the other white tenants. After Japan conquered Hawaii, Fukumoto accepted fish from van der Kirk as payment of rent. Hideo Furuta (DoI) Hideo Furuta was a soldier in the Japanese army in Takeo Shimizu's squad. When on board the freighter Nagata Maru, Furuta made the mistake of suggesting that the living quarters could be worse. Shimizu ordered Furuta to bring the squad tea as punishment. Tanekichi Furuta (EotB) Tanekichi Furuta was radarman in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He served aboard the Akagi in 1943, when the United States launched its invasion to retake Hawaii from Japan. He'd been educated at the University of California. Mr. Hasegawa (DoI) Mr. Hasegawa was a Japanese grocer in Wahiawa, Hawaii. When Japan invaded Hawaii in December 1941, he shared muted concerns with Jane Armitage about how the war might affect his business, knowing that once Hawaii fell, there would be no more shipments of food. A dire fact in which Jane agreed with Hasegawa's concerns. Carter Higdon (DoI) Carter Higdon was a United States Navy pilot from Mississippi. He served on board the USS Enterprise. Higdon was considered the brains of his squadron. While on off duty, Higdon occupy himself in reading Ulysses. He disagreed with Jim Peterson's contention that the fleet's trip to Wake Island was a waste of time. Junchiro Hozumi (EotB) Junchiro Hozumi was a Hiroshima radio broadcaster who specialized in propaganda. He worked with Jiro Takahashi after Takahashi fled Hawaii's liberation from Japan. Jiro (secretly) found Hozumi a poor imitation of Osami Murata, the broadcaster Jiro worked with in Hawaii. Literary comment His name resembles Junichiro Koizumi (b. 1942), OTL Prime Minister of Japan 2001-2006. Woody Kelley (EotB) Woodrow "Woody" Kelley was the commander of the American submarine USS Amberjack. He surfaced his vessel next to Oscar van der Kirk one day in 1942 when van der Kirk was fishing from his sailboard. Kelley quizzed van der Kirk on the state of things in Hawaii under Japanese rule, and then told van der Kirk to forget he'd been there. Van der Kirk requested Kelley notify his and Susie Higgins' family that both of them were safe. See also Inconsistencies in Turtledove's Work#Inconsistencies in Days of Infamy Edgar Kelly (DoI) Lt. Edgar Kelly was an American Naval flyer. When word came that the initial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had destroyed Battleship Row, flyer Jim Peterson, who considered battleships obsolete, coldly said that it wouldn't end the world. When Edgar Kelly responded that the sailors aboard the ships were also dying, Peterson retorted that they'd have died out at sea when they encountered the Japanese fleet.Days of Infamy, pg. 32, HC. Mitsuru Kojima (DoI) Mitsuru "Mitch" Kojima (b. 1934) was a child of Japanese ancestry living in Wahiawa, Hawaii when the Empire of Japan conquered the islands in 1941-42. He was a student in Jane Armitage's third-grade class. Like many Japanese-Americans, he had an Anglo-Saxon nickname. In the spring of 1942, Jane was working in her garden when young Mitsuru rode up on his bike. Greeting him by his nickname, Jane was rebuffed when he commanded her to use his full first name. Walter London (EotB) Walter London was an American POW in Jim Peterson's shooting squad. Unlike the other POWs, London was in seemingly good physical health as he was an operator to somehow manage to bargain his way with his fellow prisoners through acquiring commodities such as aspirins and cigarettes. Because of his seedy nature, London sought to look after himself first than anyone which making him dangerous to the POWs. As a result, London was kept constantly watched by Peterson and the other POWs. Despite the consequences his comrades would suffer, London looked for, and finally found, an opportunity to escape from his Japanese captors. Billy Joe McKennie (DoI) Billy Joe McKennie was a U.S. Army truck driver who hailed from somewhere in the deep South of the United States. He was driving supplies to the garrison at Kolekole Pass during the invasion. McKennie gave Jim Peterson a ride. McKennie was convinced that if the Japanese tried to cross the Waianae Mountains and that the Kolekole Pass was the only passage that the Japanese could go through. After dropping off the supplies and Peterson, McKennie later transported a squad of soldiers to the main scene of the fighting.Days of Infamy, pgs. 113-114, HC. Vince Monahan (DoI) Vince Monahan was a United States Marine. He was part of the aborted invasion to retake Hawaii from the Empire of Japan in June 1942. When the American fleet was returning to the mainland, Monahan resumed playing cards with Les Dillon and Dutch Wenzel to regain the betting money he had lost. Ichiro Mori (DoI) Ichiro Mori was a Japanese newspaper reporter of Nippon jiji. In 1942, he went to the Japanese consulate to interview Nagao Kita about the Japanese living in Hawaii in the aftermath of the Japanese invasion. Instead, Ichiro was directed to Jiro Takahashi, who told Ichiro he was very happy with Japanese rule. The interview interview was subsequently printed on the front page of Nippon jiji.Days of Infamy, pgs. 321-324, HC. Marvin Morrison (DoI) Marvin Morrison (d. 1941) was an American Naval flyer and Jim Peterson's wingman. He was noted for his squeaky tenor voice that broke when he got excited. He was shot down by Japanese Zero pilot Saburo Shindo in the opening stages of the battle for Hawaii. Akira Murakami (DoI) Akira Murakami was a first-year soldier and part of the Fifth Division led by Lieutenant Osami Yonehara and Corporal Takeo Shimizu. After Yonehara was killed while attempting a frontal assault on a house defended by an American machine gun, Murakami was ordered by Shimizu to "recover" their original positions. Murakami clearly knew this was retreating (but didn't outright call it that) and worried that this act would brand them as cowards and be shot by their comrades at their position for their retreat. He shared this with Shimizu who assured him that they tried their best and pointed out their assault on the house was ill-suited for infantry without additional help. Murakami didn't believe Shimizu, but didn't contradict his superior.Days of Infamy, pg. 111, HC. Murphy (DoI) Mr. Murphy (d. 1942) was principal of an elementary school in Wahiawa, Hawaii, where Jane Armitage taught 3rd grade. He remained in the city when the Japanese occupied it in December, 1941-January, 1942. Violating the rules imposed by the Japanese, Murphy kept a radio hidden until someone in the community informed on him. Murphy was publically decapitated by Major Hirabayashi. Old-man Okamoto (DoI) Okamoto was a Japanese citizen who owned a diner in Hawaii. Oscar van der Kirk and Charlie Kaapu ate in his diner in the aftermath of the Empire of Japan's attack on the American base at Pearl Harbor, and the landing of Japanese troops on Oahu. Van der Kirk wondered where Okamoto's loyalties might lie. Izumi Shirakawa (DoI) Izumi Shirakawa was a Japanese man living in the American territory of Hawaii when the Empire of Japan conquered it in 1942. In February, 1942, he acted as a translator for the formal surrender of American forces, represented by Admiral Husband Kimmel and General Walter Short, to the Japanese military, represented by General Tomoyuki Yamashita.Days of Infamy (novel), pgs 181-184, HC. He also translated for the various candidates the Japanese reviewed for the role of puppet monarch of the reconstituted Kingdom of Hawaii,Ibid., pgs. 262-265. including Abigail Kawananakoa and Stanley Owana Laanui.Ibid. pgs. 379-381. At times, he was seen more often as being nervous towards the occupiers despite his ethnic background and nationality. Sid (DoI) Sid was an American living in Hawaii in 1941. On December 7, he and his friend Bernie, who were playing golf, "captured" downed Navy pilot Jim Peterson with their nine-irons. When they realized he was American, not Japanese, they helped him find a car. Steve (DoI) Steve was an American sailor who was "impressed" into the infantry during the Japanese invasion of Hawaii. While defending the north of Pearl City from a cane field along with his infantrymen, some of whom were also impressed sailors, he was wounded in the chest from a Japanese machine gun. Jim Peterson rescued Steve, dragging him back into a foxhole. Nick Tversky (EotB) Nick Tversky was a US Navy pilot from Brooklyn. During the 2nd Battle of the North Pacific, while flying near the Hawaiian islands in support of the Marines, Nick's fighter took a flak hit which destroyed his engine, but luckily left him unscratched.End of the Beginning, pgs. 344, HC. He was able to bail out into the ocean. Only a few hours later, he met Oscar van der Kirk, and was taken aback by his sailboard.Ibid. At first he wanted to get ashore but when that proved impossible, he was resigned to wait. His decision paid off when a few minutes later, he was rescued by a PBY, allowing him to return to the fight.Ibid. pg. 345-346. Bill van der Kirk (EotB) William "Bill" van der Kirk was the father of Oscar van der Kirk. He and his wife Enid lived in Visalia, California. Enid van der Kirk (EotB) Enid van der Kirk was the mother of Oscar van der Kirk. She and her husband Bill lived in Visalia, California. Roger van der Kirk (EotB) Roger van der Kirk was the older brother of Oscar van der Kirk. He was the "responsible" son, and became the heir to the family business. Vinnie (EotB) Vinnie was a sailor aboard the American submarine USS Amberjack. He spoke to Oscar van der Kirk when the sub surfaced next to the surfer. Don Ward (DoI) Don Ward was an ensign in the United States Navy. He was Joe Crosetti's first instructor at the University of North Carolina, assuring the men in his group that he was their "mother". Wilbur (DoI) Wilbur (d. December 1941) was an U.S. Army private who was defending Hawaii during the Japanese invasion and was subsequently captured during combat. His captors repeatedly bayoneted Wilbur in the chest and belly, pointedly avoiding the heart. At some point, they cut off his penis and put it in his mouth; Fletch Armitage hoped that this wound was postmortem. His torturers put a cardboard sign next to his head reading in crude English: "HE TAKE LONG TIME DIE". Armitage ordered soldiers Bill and Eddie to bury the body and keep Wilbur's fate to themselves.Ibid., pg. 90, HC. Osami Yonehara (DoI) Osami Yonehara (d. December 1941) was a lieutenant in the Japanese army and part of the Fifth Division along with corporal Takeo Shimizu. He arrived on Oahu on board the Nagata Maru, and led the early stages of the invasion. He was killed while attempting a frontal assault on a house defended by an American machine gun. References * *Days of Infamy